Build My Own or buy it?

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
S

smunier

Distinguished
Feb 22, 2011
18
0
18,510
Im thinking of building my son's pc. Have not build one over 25 years. I'm tired of HP and Dell systems. I've looked into Velocity Z25 for $1,274.00 with upgrade to intel i7-3770K and 1GB GeFource GTX 650 GDDR5. Also, checked out Origin, Maingear, and Falcon, which way out of my price range.

My price range - $1,200 give or take

Son is a gamer - plays mine craft, Ghost Recon, and Star Wars....

Here's is my list of part suggestions:
I'm willing to go for intel core i7-3820
CPU Cooler ?
Motherboard ?
Memory - 16GB
Storage ?
Video Card - Geforce GTX 670 2gb
Case - Fractal design Define R4 mid Tower (titanium Gray)
Power Supply ?
Optical Drive - no blu ray is needed
OS - Windows 7 professional

I added question marks b/c I don't know what is good out there - bang for buck. Do like the Fractal Design Define R4 case. I love it b/c its sleek, modern look to it. As a mother - easy to move and easy to dust (that's important).

If I do decide to build it - does s bloatware and/or advertisements added to these parts? I'm so tired of buying pc and all that stuff gets added on.

Installing software - I'm a little nervous on. Could you direct me to a link on installing software and what to expect first time pressing that button?

If you could, please provide me the pc parts picker link with what parts you suggested for me. I've been playing around with it lately, and it really helps out with the reviews. If I do decide to build I could just go to the link and buy it from Amazon, tiger direct, and/or new egg.

Pros:
Do I have the time of day to build one, my son can help me, and building one should be less money than buying a pc.

Cons:
Software end of it - nervous. Not sure what happens after I push that button for the first time.

Thanks.

Love your Forums and the support!


 
Sort by date Sort by votes
envy14tpe

envy14tpe

Champion
Mar 3, 2012
9,574
14
56,665
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H80i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($88.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme6 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($66.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($117.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($68.66 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($389.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($98.98 @ Outlet PC)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($86.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($134.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1421.51
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-07 11:44 EDT-0400)

Better budget :
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($27.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme6 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($66.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($117.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($68.66 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB Video Card ($276.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($98.98 @ Outlet PC)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($86.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($134.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1247.51
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-07 11:48 EDT-0400)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Master Bob

Master Bob

Distinguished
Jan 17, 2012
14
0
18,510
Your son sounds like he doesn't play games that are too demanding, but the list you gave is very vague. Ask him what the newest game he plays is.

If you're rusty on how to build a computer, check out the three part guide from Newegg:

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPIXAtNGGCw
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_56kyib-Ls
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxaVBsXEiok

Also, do you have anything like a monitor, keyboard, and mouse that you have at home? And is it possible for you to get Windows for free? (Through work or something)?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
ingtar33

ingtar33

Glorious
Dec 17, 2012
9,017
198
45,840
here you go

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($27.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.97 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($91.07 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($139.44 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($68.66 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($359.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Titanium Grey) ATX Mid Tower Case ($103.28 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic M12II 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($134.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1360.36
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-07 11:47 EDT-0400)

stuck to your required parts list. i would probably build it a little different... but this machine should rock your son's world. have fun!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
TheBigTroll

TheBigTroll

Illustrious
Apr 15, 2012
14,099
1
42,965
the R4 is very deceptive, its something like 25-30 pounds empty. just keep that in mind.

as for the rig, id suggest this.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/VDZm

-i7s arent useful for gaming
-8gb is perfect for gaming
-the rig is overclockable but it wont do 2way SLI or crossfire
-added a SSD to accelerate everything. its a must at this price bracket
-the 7970 performs better and comes with crysis 3, far cry 3 blood dragon and bioshock infinite. if you dont want those games, id be happy to recieve them :D
-opted for a arc midi r2. if you want a R4, you can change it.
-windows pro is useless if you dont use more than 16gb of ram
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Kindredsouls

Kindredsouls

Distinguished
Mar 4, 2010
232
0
18,710


The professional version of Windows has nothing to do with RAM. However, unless you're connecting the computer to a Windows Domain then professional is a waste of money. Save yourself the difference and just go with Windows 7 Home Premium.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
scragnoff

scragnoff

Honorable
Feb 6, 2013
374
0
10,810
Hi smunier!

Definitely go and build it yourself! Not only will you save money, you'll get some great bonding time with your son. :)

As a refresher, check out some Assembly Tips.

You can also check out a Lifehacker article Set Up and Get to Know Your New Windows PC.

With price range for your budget, you can check out the Excellent Tier. Tbh, the cpu for this tier, the i5-3570K, offers the best bang for you buck. And paired with either of those video cards, your rig will be able to play any high-end games with med-high details at a great frame rate.

Good luck!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
S

smunier

Distinguished
Feb 22, 2011
18
0
18,510
Minecraft and it was mentioned that this game sucks up alot of the CPU. Someone suggested from Tom's Forum go for i7... Other games he plays Counter-Strike, Tom Clancy's (Ghost Recon), Star Treck, Shoot Mania Storm...

Why isn't the i7-3820 processor not useful for games? I'm just curious? I could double the RAM with 16 GB.





 
Upvote 0 Downvote
TheBigTroll

TheBigTroll

Illustrious
Apr 15, 2012
14,099
1
42,965
yeah minecraft isnt demanding at all. if this rig can max out bf3 with ease, it will play minecraft

the games you list arent demanding. you can play them with a 650 dollar rig

as for a i7 not being useful in games, most games dont use that many threads for gaming, thereby making the extra threads covered by a i7 not useful. in newer games such as crysis 3 however will take advantage of that.

more ram isnt useful when you dont use 4gb of ram most of the time during gaming
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
ingtar33

ingtar33

Glorious
Dec 17, 2012
9,017
198
45,840
because the person on the minecraft forums spent too much for their i7 and now needs to justify it?

seriously, there is no appreciable difference between an i5 and i7 in gaming apart from the price. the only difference between the i5-3570 and an i7-3770 is Hyperthreading. And Hyperthreading does not really help in gaming... at all (for every 1 game which might benefit slightly from Hyperthreading, there are 10 that take a slight hit from it).

Gamers for the past 3 years have been sticking to the i5-2500k or i5-3570k for a reason


furthermore, Hyperthreading isn't as efficient as a full thread... it's more like a 15%-30% boost in performance per core, in aps that can fully utilize it. Which means a 4 core i7, in a game that benefit from Hyperthreading (which are few and far between) would be operating at best like a 5 core cpu.

not really worth the premium paid frankly.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
S

smunier

Distinguished
Feb 22, 2011
18
0
18,510
What would you do different? I'm open to suggestions....

Thanks!



 
Upvote 0 Downvote
S

smunier

Distinguished
Feb 22, 2011
18
0
18,510
I'll go for the Windows 7 home version.

Thanks for your input!



 
Upvote 0 Downvote
envy14tpe

envy14tpe

Champion
Mar 3, 2012
9,574
14
56,665

ASRock Extreme 6 is on sale and only $5 more than the Extreme 4. Great buy.

8GB is plenty of RAM unless you do intense photoshop. Even with editing photos it's hard to get near 8GB unless you use CS6. For gaming 8GB RAM is more than enough.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
S

smunier

Distinguished
Feb 22, 2011
18
0
18,510
I would have to see what the difference between the two, which I'm going through all the suggestions I received. Learning a lot from all of this!

Question on the graphics card - what would be the next good graphics card if I can't afford the GeForce GTX 670?

Thanks!



 
Upvote 0 Downvote
S

smunier

Distinguished
Feb 22, 2011
18
0
18,510
Nice article - Thanks :)



 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom